As evening falls, Ethan sips scotch and finally places where he knows the name Cassmore: a decades-old bad check posted at the Shop-Way with the name Daphne Cassmore. He remembers removing the shaming wall of bounced checks when he bought the store but keeping mental notes of the names.

Curious, Ethan searches the ancestry site he subscribes to and links Daphne Cassmore—later Daphne Scott—to a half sister, Jeanne Baker of Modesto. Cameron had mentioned a hoarding aunt in Modesto, and this detail convinces Ethan that Cameron is Daphne’s son.

Reflecting on the cruelty of public shaming over a six-dollar check, Ethan feels sympathy for Daphne and considers Cameron’s painful history with his mother. Meanwhile, Sandy’s spreading rumor that Daphne may have known something about Erik’s disappearance resurfaces, raising the stakes and making Ethan question Cameron’s age and timeline.

Knowing Tova is actively pursuing leads on Daphne, Ethan decides she should hear the truth about Cameron’s parentage from him. Concerned how this revelation might alter Tova’s view of Cameron, he phones late at night and invites her to dinner, intending to disclose what he has learned.